Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (vol. 1) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, vol. 1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Oni Press, Inc., 2004
ISBN: 978-1-932664-08-9

Plot Summary

Scoring a high-school girlfriend and playing in his mediocre rock band, twenty-three year old Scott Pilgrim thinks life is going pretty well until he starts having bizarre dreams involving deserts, concerts, and school halls, all of which feature the same mysterious girl. When he sees the girl of his dreams (literally) in the flesh, he is desperate to find out about her. He finally accosts her at a party where he learns her name (Ramona Flowers), her profession (Amazon.co delivery girl) and her relationship status (single). Soon he is obsessed with Ramona but dumping his high school girlfriend and dating her will not be easy, especially when he learns that he must defeat Ramona’s seven evil ex-boyfriends before the two of them will be left in peace. Will Scott be able to sneak behind his girlfriend’s back and claim Ramona as his own or will he be struck down by one of Ramona’s evil (and magical) ex-boyfriends?

Critical Evaluation

Told in the style of Japanese manga, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life is gritty and stark. Using heavy inking and sharp lines, Bryan Lee O’Malley’s art reflects not only the season in which the story begins (winter) but the bleak and mysterious life of Scott Pilgrim himself. Filled with dark humor, Pilgrim’s life is clearly not as great as he thinks it is. O’Malley hints at this throughout the book as various characters make passing references to one of Scott’s broken past relationships and his practically penniless status. Initially readers cannot help but like Pilgrim as he seems to take simple pleasure in spending time with his naïve high school girlfriend, Knives Chau, despite his poverty and his past. And, readers will grant that it is natural to be curious (maybe even obsessed) with a girl that you had initially thought to be a figment of your imagination. But Pilgrim’s personality quickly grows sour as he proceeds to cheat on his girlfriend while not having the heart to break up with her. The plot goes from bad to worse as the book includes a dreamlike fight sequence that is so convoluted that it becomes both unsatisfying and unbelievable. Some may argue that the melding of the fantastic and the realistic is what makes this graphic novel so great. However, I maintain that instead of cleverly drawing parallels between Scott’s dream world and his reality, the fight scene only serves to confuse the reader. Overall, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life begins well enough but quickly dissolves into confusion, making Scott into a protagonist that some readers may have difficulty caring about.

Reader’s Annotation

Life is going well for Scott Pilgrim as he dates his high school girlfriend and plays in his band. But when Ramona Flowers enters his life with her seven evil exes, Scott has to decide whether to stay with his mediocre life or give it up for the intriguing Flowers.

About the Author

“Bryan Lee O'Malley was born in London, Ontario, Canada. He has lived in the north. He has lived in Toronto. He has lived in Nova Scotia. Now he lives in the United States. He has drawn comics for himself and others since an early age. Comics became his lifelong vocation when he realized they were the only thing he kept doing while constantly quitting everything else (college, jobs, friends, being a nerd, not being a nerd, etc)” (Amazon, n.d.)

“He created the 6-volume graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim, which was adapted into a film and videogame in 2010. He records music under the name KUPEK. He currently lives in Los Angeles” (O’Malley, n.d.). Although Scott Pilgrim is his most famous comic he’s created eight other strips including Bear Creek Apartments and Smiling Is Something That Other People Do. He is currently at work on a new series that he hopes will be published in a few years.

Amazon, (n.d.) Bryan Lee O’Malley. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Lee-OMalley/e/B001K7RJVA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1310850262&sr=1-1

O’Malley, B.L. (n.d.) RadioMaru.com. Retrieved from http://radiomaru.com/

Genre

Cross-Over, Romance, Science fiction

Tags

Music, bands, ex-boyfriends, cheating, Winter, Canada, LGBTQ literature, surreal, younger girlfriend, video games, Mr. Silly, Amazon, Toronto

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Booktalk Ideas

--Give the booktalk as Scott Pilgrim or Ramona Flowers

Reading Level/Interest Age

Reading Level: 2^nd grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade (14-18 yrs)

2^nd grade reading level is according to the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level tool found in Microsoft Word.

Challenge Issues

This book could be challenged because it depicts a twenty-three year old dating a high school student and it shows two people in bed together. If challenged, librarians could point to library collection policy and show both positive and negative reviews written about the graphic novel.

Favorite Quotes

Scott: Umm..am I dreaming.

Ramona: Looks hard at him and the two of them look awkward.

Scott: I’ll leave you alone forever now.

Ramona: Thanks

********

Scott: It’s…it’s her shoes. She was wearing these shoes. These haunting shoes.

Wallace: What’d they look like?

Scott: They looked…really…uncomfortable.

Wallace: Um…not that you’re an idiot, but how about you draw me a picture?

Scott: *draws picture* They were something like that, I guess.

Wallace: *after a pause* These shoes are Mr. Silly’s shoes, Scott.

Side Note: After reading about Mr. Silly’s shoes I tried to find them online to see if I could buy them. I sadly couldn’t find any for sale so if you happen to come across them please let me know!

Why Was This Included?

I chose to include this graphic novel due to the popularity/hype surrounding the Scott Pilgrim movie. I also like how it features a 23-year-old man who is still trying to figure out his life, a theme that high schoolers can definitely relate to.